“Passwords are meant to be kept private, and I want to be clear that the practice of employers requesting personal passwords from their current or potential future staff is fundamentally wrong,” said Commissioner Cavoukian.

“Canada’s human rights and privacy laws provide strong protections for job applicants when it comes to improper practices, such as employers requesting personal passwords. However, everyone using social media must remain vigilant when it comes to guarding their own personal information.”

The paper offers true-to-life examples of improper practices by employers, provides context, and most importantly, offers practical tips to protect your privacy in today’s constantly-evolving online world. Some of the issues covered in depth in the paper include:

Think hard before you click

Review all the information about you that lives online

Remove potentially-damaging information & photos

Apply strong privacy controls to all of your personal information

Know your rights: employment, human rights & privacy laws

Build up a positive online social media profile

“It is absolutely crucial to remember that anything you post online may stay there forever, in one form or another, so think carefully before you post,” said Commissioner Cavoukian.

“With 86 per cent of Canadian Internet users having a Facebook profile, my sincere hope is that our paper will remind people to use social media sites wisely – posting information with their eyes wide open, and considering the potential risks to their employment – current and future.”

“Job candidates should preserve their legally-protected right against what the courts have now labeled ‘intrusion into seclusion’,” agrees Mark Ellis of Baker & McKenzie. “As counsel to many of Canada’s largest employers, we advise companies to respect the legal boundaries regarding investigation of any applicant. While an employer’s review of outward-facing social media pages is proper and valuable due diligence, probing beyond the password-protected wall constitutes unwarranted invasion of privacy.”